Birthday Blues
by Baseball when it rains
Summary: Post DH. James Potter has a fiance. What happens when he screws up? Bad?
1. Midnight surprise

He was the love of my life. Or so I thought. Aparently he didn't feel the same. We'd been a couple for over a year now and we both seemed to be happy. I know I was.

It was my birthday of all things. Ha. How ironic. I wanted to give him something, nothing much but still, it was something important to me. As the clock struck midnight, I slipped out of my bed, grabbing the small parcel off of my bedside table. Grabbing my broomstick, I opened the window and jumped out.

The rain was coming down in torrents but I didn't care. He didn't live far so it wasn't that big of a deal. As I saw the house coming closer, I prayed to God that neither Harry nor Ginny decided to look out their window right now. I knew that they would kill me if they found out I was visiting James at this hour.

I reached his window, silently opening and climbing in. As I glanced over at his bed, I stopped dead. He wasn't alone tonight, nor was he asleep.

The sight made me sick. Her nails clawing at his back, her moans piercing the silence created by the silencing spell. When she opened her eyes and looked at me over his shoulder, I think I died. I felt nothing, nothing at all.

"James?" I had to know. I had to make sure that it was really him.

All movement stopped and he turned and stared at me. His eyes, his face, everything about him screamed panic. I just bit my lip and nodded, setting the gift down on the book case next to the window, then climbed back out of teh window.

I rode my broom to the ground and left it there, running through the rain to the woods across the street. I'd be long gone before he realized I wasn't at home.

Happy Birthday to me.


	2. Wake up call

I made it to the other edge of the forest by sunrise, the Leaky Cauldron a few seconds later. Dave, the new owner of the Cauldron, after Tom died, gave me a room for the night and I gratfully sunk into the bed two minutes later.

"Angela, open up!"

Prying my eyes open, I glared at the door before pulling the blanket over my head.

**_'Please let me be dreaming.'_**

**bangbangbang**

I sighed and stood up. "James, go away. I don't want to talk to you."

"Damn it, Angela! Open the damn door."

I glance at the door again before apparating downstairs. Sitting at the bar, I glare at Dave.

"Why did you tell him which room I was in?"

"I didn't," He looked at me sadly, "He saw me bring your bag upstairs and followed me."

I stared at him blankly for a few seconds then apparated back upstairs. The bag of clothes and money was sitting next to the door. How did I miss it?

**bangbangbang**

Oh yeah. Now I remember.

Grabbing the bag, I strip down, pulling on the clean clothes. That's when he kicked down the door.

"Angela-"

"James, stop it. Just shut up."

"No, you have to let me explain."

I shook my head, pushing passed him and walking out the door, toassing my bag down the stairs. "James, there's nothing to explain."

I walked back in to the room, picking up my key from the bedside table: "Damn it, yes there is. I love you, Angela."

I stopped in front of the door; "Maybe you should have thought of that before you slept with my best friend."

Taking off the silver ring, I kneel and put it on the floor, walking down the stairs and out of the bar.


	3. Reunion

I never went back after that. I left England and I haven't been back since. The five years I was gone seemed like a lifetime to me. But I did it. I was free from him. At least I thought I was.

I went back to Scotland, Scone to be exact. I lived above an old tavern that I bought for dirt cheap. After cleaning it up and pronouncing the tavern name _Firewhiskey spring, _I ran the tavern on my own, with a little help from a couple locals who needed a job.

It was a slow day and I was behind the bar, taking inventory of my drink selection. As I began to search through my selection of drinks in anohter room, I heard the door open and shut.

"Danni, what are we doing here?"

"James, darling, we are here to get a drink."

I stopped dead, dropping the bottle in my hand. I knew both of those voices. Both were voices I never wanted to hear again. The bell at the bar began to ring. Walking to the doorway, I stared at them both.

James...James looked the same. Still tall, lean, handsome as ever. Danni had changed. Her blonde hair was longer, thicker. Her pale blue eyes clearer. What caught my attention the most was the little glimmer on her left ring finger. Why was I not surprised? Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I stepped out and stood infront of them.

"Welcome to the Firewhiskey Spring. What can I do for ya?"

James looked up at me in surprise for a few seconds then stood from his seat. "Come on, Danni, let's get out of here."

"No, I don't want to go," She scowled up at him then looked back at me with a small smile, "Sorry. You'll have to excuse my husband here. He tends to get a little worked up over some silly little things."

"I see. Well, why don't I just get you two a drink. Maybe it'll calm him down." I looked at her blankly. Damn, I had forgotten how much the term 'dumb blonde' applied to her. The girl didnt' even remember me.

I poured a couple glasses of whiskey and sat one in front of each of them. "That's some ring. Must have cost a fortune."

Danni grinned, taking a sip of her drink, and held her hand out for me to see the ring. I took her hand, examining it. I don't know why I paid so much attention to it. It's not like I'd never seen the damned thing before.

"Cost him a good 10 Galleons, it did."

"Wow, that's quite a bit. You know, I had a ring just like this once. Had a good man attatched to it for a while, too."

"Oh, what happened?

"Caught him cheating on me with a good friend of mine on my birthday. So, I took the ring off, gave it back. Haven't seen the man that I got engaged to since." I glanced over at James briefly, but I knew that he saw it.

"How horrible. I'm so sorry." She looked at me sadly.

I snorted. "Don't be. I'm not. Taught me a lesson I desperately needed to learn."

"Oh? And what lesson was that?" James asked sadly.

I looked at him apathetically. "That things aren't always what we believe them to be."

Looking at the clock on the wall, I mentally cursed myself.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I gotta kick you out. I have to close up shop early today. The drinks are on the house." I walked out from behind the bar and held the door open for them.

Danni stood, followed by James and walked towards through the door.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Ms..."

I hesitated. "Ela. And it was nice to meet you too. Have a nice time." I noded and went back inside, locking the door behind me.

As I pressed my head against the glass, Robert, one of my employees and the closest thing I had to a friend here, stood beside me.

"You gunna be okay?"

I nodded. "Umm, can you clean up for me? I've got to go out to Perth to meet Mum and Da in a few."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Thanks, Robert."

I turned and disappeared up the stairs, before I dropped to the ground and curled into a ball. I don't know how long I sat there and waited for the waterworks to end.


	4. Why?

Before a year ago, I hadn't been to Mom and Pa's estate since I was a kid. the summer before James proposed. So, dressed in one of my finest sun dresses- Not overly fancy, I must admit. Simple, white with little yellow flowers around the middle-I apparated from my flat to the summer house.

They were there waiting for me, just as I expected, and greeted me with open arms. We went out to the back patio and sat for afternoon tea. It had become a monthly tradition, tea with Mom and Pa on some Saturday that they came to the summer house. Meet for tea, catch up on what's been going on, talk about all kinds of things. It was usually a pretty pleasant visit. This time, though, not so much.

We sat down for tea then talked. Mom was particularly chatty.

"Well, Harry and Ginny are having the most darling time over in America. Albus got into the Wizengamot. Knew it would happen. The boy was always a bright one. Lily got married last week. Strapping young man, that Longbottom boy. And James is turning out just fine. He and Dani ran off somewhere. They were supposed to be back by now. I wonder what's taking them."

I looked at Mom and frowned. "They came here?"

"Yes. We thought you might want to see some of your old friends from back home so we invited-"

"Why those two? Why not Rose and Victoire? Why not any of the others?" I stood up, angry that they had brought them. My own parents bringing the two people who stabbed me in the back. Mom didn't know but Dad did. He knew full well what had happened and he still brought them here. I looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Honey, I thought it would be best-"

"Wrong." I turned away from them and walked back through the house and out the front door.

Apparating, I found myself on a different part of the land we owned, at an old tree with a tire swing. It was my favorite gettaway when I was younger. Sitting on the swing, I gazed out at the hills until a heard a faint pop behind me.

"Honey, I-"

"Dad, why? You know what he did. Why did you bring him here?"

"Because you need to get past it. Move on. I can see it in your eyes. You're still torn up inside about him. I can't stand to see my daughter like that all the time."

"Bringing them here isn't going to help."

"You don't know that. It could do you some good."

"No, Dad. You're wrong." With a shake of my head, I stormed out of the room and apparated out of the house.


	5. And that's what I'm going to do

The bar was quiet when I got back, just as I expected it to be. Turning on the light, I stepped behind the bar and pulled out a glass and a bottle of fire whiskey. The amber liquid glistened as it began filling the the crystal cup. As I raised the glass to my lips, there was a knock at the door.

"Sorry, we're closed!" I called out, before downing the drink with a grimmace.

As I refilled the cup, I heard the door open and close again. Scowling I turned around.

"I said we're closed," I looked at the man for a second, then emptied my second shot, "Especially to cheating bastards."

"I suppose I deserve that."

"No, you don't deserve that. That's a lot nicer than what you deserve."

"Look, I came here to talk to you. You have to understand-"

"How long?" I asked him, pouring myself another drink.

"Excuse me?"

"How long did you wait before you asked her to marry you?"

"That's neither here nor there."

I snorted, "Come on, James. How long was it? Three days, four? Or did you actually feel a little regret and wait a whole week? How long was it, James?"

"A month," He said, looking at the floor.

"Wow, James. I'm a little surprised. I'm so glad that our relationship meant so much to you that you were so deeply troubled when I left," I spat, glaring at him.

Taking a step toward me, he reached out to hug me. Pushing him away, I walked around to the other side of the bar.

"Angela, I loved you. I still do."

"Oh, really? Give me one good God damned reason a man would cheat on the woman he 'loves'? One good reason!"

"Well, uh-"

"Uh, wrong. There is no good reason." I screamed at him.

That was what broke him. I could see it in his eyes. A part of him just snapped. His face turned blank for a few seconds then became filled with absolute rage.

"If you had just let me have you, I wouldn't have had to resort to doing Danni!"

It caught me by surprise. That was something we had talked about. I didn't want...that...until we were married. Dad had taught me, raised me, to believe that was something to save for then.

"Get out of my bar, you bastard," I stepped around the bar, slapped him across the face, and held the door open for him,"Now."

He turned and made his way to the door, but stopped by a table. Picking up one of the chairs from the table, he put it on the floor and sat in it.

"No. I don't think I will. I came here to talk to you and that's what I'm going to do."


End file.
